Feeding mechanism for rivet-setting machines



Aug. 11, 1925.

. E. B. STIMPSON v FEEDING MECHANISM FOR RIVET SETTING MACHINES Filed May 8/ #1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,519-

E. B. STIMPSON FEEDING MECHANISM FOR RIVET SETTING MACHINES Filed May 8, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. '11, 1925.

E. B. STIM SQN FEEDR'JG MECHANISM FOR RIVET sET'rn'qu MACHINES Filed May 8, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet Li anvemtoz Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

if ETE STATES Matt?) PATENT critics.

EDT VIN B. STIMPSON, O1" BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR. TO EDVTIN 1B. STIMPSON COMPANY, 033 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR RIVET-SETTING MACHINES.

Application filed May 8,

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, EDWIN B. S'rnurson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Rivet-Setting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to feeding mechanism for rivet setting machines.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of the general nature referred to in which the rivets are fed steadily and uniformly and without jamming or other interruptions to an efficient supplying operation.

The invention includes a rivet feeding device in which rivets are fed from the supply source into and through a rotatable rivet arranging and pick-up member which selects from a mass of rivets through which the member rotates individual rivets which are so disposed or oriented as to enter the receiving slots of the pick-up member for transference to a rivet feeding chute leading to the setting device of a riveting machine.

Preferably the pick-up wheel has a frustoconical formation and by so mounting the pick-up wheel that the delivery end of a rivet supply hopper is journaled in the smaller or converging end of the conical wheel, a compact and efficient construction is provided in which the rivets are passed through the wheel to the receiving slots in the expanded end thereof. It will be seen that the expansion in diameterof the conical pick-up wheel provides a downwardly sloping path which facilitates instead of restricting the movement of the received rivets to that portion of the wheel which is provided with rivet receiving slots.

The pick-up wheel may also have a cylindrical or other formation in which a considerable advantage will be gained in the agitation and positioning of the rivets by causing the rivets to pass through the rotating wheel in their journey to the pick-up slots.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter described.

In the drawings, in which two embodiments of the invention have been selected for illustration Figure 1 is a view in front elevation, with 1924. Serial No. 711,768.

a part broken away, of a rivet feeding device embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a view in vertical section taken along the lines 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of the device shown in Figure 2 and looking from the opposite side.

Figure d is a sectional view taken on the lines 14 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 showing a modified formof the invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the lines 66 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of the invention, a rivet feeding device is shown which includes a removable rivet supply hopper 10 mounted on a combined frame piece and delivery member 11. A frusto-conica1 rivet pick-up wheel is shown at 12, the wheel 12 being mounted for rotation at its smaller end on the delivery member 11 which forms a bearing for the wheel at the point 13. The frame member 11 is expanded as at 14 to form a closure member for the open and expanded end of the pick-up wheel and inside of which the extreme expanded end 15 of the pick-up wheel 12 rotates.

The closure member 1% formed on the framework 11 is provided with a projecting stud 16 which forms a bearing support for a rock arm 17 provided with a pawl 18 for engagement with ratchet teeth 19 formed on the pick-up wheel 12 and by means of which the pickup wheel is given a step by step rotation.

The frame member 11 is provided in the form of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2, 8 and 4 of the drawing, with a de livery port 20 arranged to deliver rivets passing therethrough in a tangential relation to the arcuate path of movement of the adjacent wall of the pick-up wheel 12, the rivets emerging from the delivery port 20 in the same direction of movement in which the pick-up wheel is traveling. By this arrangement it will be seen that there is no restriction or interruption of the free flow of rivets from the supply hopper 10 through the delivery chute 21 of the frame member 11 and thence through the delivery port 20 into the conical pick-up wheel. In addition the expansion in diameter of the pick-up wheel from its inner end which engages the bearing support 13 to its outer end 15 further facilitates movement of the rivets supplied from the delivery port to the outermost end of the pick-up wheel which is provided with rivet-receiving slots 22.

Advantage is taken of the angular direction of the expanding wall of the pickup wheel in order to provide a downward path of travel for the rivets from the inner to the outer end of the pick-up wheel in the modification of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6 as well as in the form of the invention shown in the other figures in the drawing. In the device shown in Figures 5 and 6 the delivery orifice 23 is so arranged as to present the rivets passing therethrough in an axial direction witn relation to the pick-up wheel rather than in a tangential relation thereto. It will be seen, however, that the descending path of movement of the rivets from the delivery orifice 23 to the expanded end 15 of the pickwheel and the receiving slots 22 will facilitate the movement of the rivets to the receiving slots so that the operation of passing rivets from the supply hopper 10 to the receiving and arranging slots 22 is greatly facilitated by the construction which enables rivets to be passed through the wheel and to take advantage of the angular disposition of the walls thereof.

It will be clear that the movement of the slotted end of the pick-up wheel through the mass of rivets will receive such rivets in the slots as are properly arranged or dis posed to enter the slots and will then transfer the rivets to that portion of the device best. shown in Figure 1 of the drawing where the rivets supplied under the action of gravity from the slots 22 into the channel 24 leading to the rivet supply chute 25 which directly feeds the rivet feeding mechanism of the machine with which the feeding device is associated.

To further facilitate the uniform and con tinuous supply of rivets to the delivery chute 25, special precautions are taken against the clogging or jamming of rivets in the operating mechanism referred to. To this end the construction of the frame member 11 within the pick-up wheel 12 is designed to prevent the accumulation of individual rivets on any part thereof so that the rivets within the wheel are constantly available for agitation by the slotted portion of the pick-up wheel as it rotates through the mass of rivets in the chamber. The connecting portion 26 of the framework between the closure plate 14 and the receiving channel 21 is formed at an in clination best shown in Figure 4; of the drawing which will prevent the gathering of rivets thereon and in addition is provided with a peaked or constricted upper end 27 for the same purpose. It will be seen that the wall 28 of the delivery channel is provided with an angular or sloping formation which will cause rivets engaged thereby to be deflected into the lower portion of the chamber. In Figure 6 of the drawing the rounded portion of the upper wall 29 of the delivery port 23 serves the same purpose.

In order to disassemble the device for any purpose the supply hopper 10 is readily removed from its seat whereupon by removing the retaining lug 30 the pick-up wheel 12 can be passed from its position outwardly over the surface of the channel 21 of the framework. The device is thus reduced to a compact and efficient form and the mounting of the conical pick-up wheel directly on the rivet feeding passageway 21 not only facilitates the movementof the rivets into the path of movement of the receiving slots 22 but in addition provides a relatively large and correspondingly firm and rigid bearing support for the pick-up member.

What is claimed is 1. In a rivet feeding device, a chambered pick-up wheel having a frusto-conical formation and provided with rivet pick-up slots at its expanded end, and means for feeding rivets tangentially into the wheel from its smaller end whereby the diverging formation will facilitate the movement of the rivets to the pick-up slots.

2. In a rivet feeding device, a hollow pick-up member having a tapered formation and provided with rivet pick-up slots at its larger end, and a supporting member on which said pick-up member is mounted for rotation at its smaller end, said supporting member being provided with a passageway extending into the pick-up member at the smaller end for delivering rivets into the pick-up member.

3. In a rivet feeding device, a hollow pick-up member having a tapered formation and provided with rivet pick-up slots at its larger end, a supporting framework on which said pick-up member is mounted for rotation at its smaller end, said supporting framework being provided with a rivet supplyingpassageway leading into the pickup member from the smaller end thereof, and a closure plate for the larger end of the pick-up member carried by said framework, said closure plate being provided with a rivet discharge passageway.

4. In a rivet feeding device, a hollow pick-up member having a tapered formation and provided with rivet pick-up slots at its larger end, a supporting framework on which said pick-up member is mounted for rotation at its smaller end, said supporting framework being provided with a rivet supllU plying passageway leading into the pick-up member from the smaller end thereof, a closure plate for the larger end of the pickup member carried by said framework, a stub shaft projecting from the outer face of the closure plate, a rock arm pivotally mounted on the stub shaft and passing across the margin of the plate, a pawl carried by the end of the arm, and ratchet teeth on the pick-up member arranged to be engaged by the pawl to rotate the pick-up member.

5. In a rivet feeding device, a hollow pick-up member having a tapered formation and provided with rivet pick-up slots at its larger end, a supporting framework on which said pick-up member is mounted for rotation at its smaller end, said supporting framework being provided with a rivet supplying passageway leading into the pickup member from the smaller end thereof, a closure plate for the larger end of the pickup member carried by and forming an integral part of the framework, and having a rivet discharge passage therein, a stub shaft projecting from the outer face of the closure plate, a rock arm pivotally mounted on the stub shaft and passing across the margin of the plate, a pawl carried by the end of the arm, ratchet teeth on the pick-up member arranged to be engaged by the pawl to rotate the pick-up member, and a hopper for the outer end of the rivet supplying passageway, said hopper being removable to provide for the removal of the pickup mem- 6. In a rivet feeding device, a hollow pick-up member having a tapered formation and provided with rivet pick-up slots at its larger end, a supporting member on which the pick-up member is rotatably mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, and said supporting member being provided with a passageway through which rivets are fed into the pick-up member through the smaller end thereof, said passageway being arranged to deliver rivets tangentially to and in the same general direction of movement of the pick-up memher.

7. In a rivet feeding device, a hollow pick-up wheel provided with pick-up slots at one end, and means for feeding rivets tangentially into the wheel from the other end.

8. In a rivet feeding device, a hollow pick-up wheel arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis, the pick-up wheel being provided with pick-up slots at one end, and means for feeding rivets tangentially into the other end of the wheel for travel through tile wheel to the position of the pick-up s ots.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWIN B. STIMPSON. 

